US presses India for speedy accountability in Sikh separatist murder plot – Newsad

An FBI release photo shows Vikash Yadav, the former Indian intelligence officer who was indicted by the US for allegedly directing a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in New York City, in this undated photo released on October 17, 2024. – Reuters
An FBI release photo shows Vikash Yadav, the former Indian intelligence officer who was indicted by the US for allegedly directing a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in New York City, in this undated photo released on October 17, 2024. – Reuters
  • The United States wants a quick result in the investigation into the failed murder plot
  • India hopes to move as quickly as possible through the investigation.
  • Yadav was assigned the task of organizing an assassination, as Bannon claims.

Washington: US officials told their Indian counterparts that they want a quick result and more accountability following their investigation into India’s involvement in a failed murder plot against a Sikh activist in the US, according to a US official.

An Indian investigative panel visited Washington last week to discuss India’s investigations after the Justice Department alleged that an Indian intelligence official directed plans to assassinate dual US-Canadian citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist, last year.

A US official, who requested to remain anonymous, said: “We have clearly communicated that the US government will not be fully satisfied until we see real accountability.” “We have emphasized that we hope India will move as quickly as possible through the investigation process.”

The Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Washington’s message to Indian officials has not been made public before.

Last week, an unsealed indictment showed that the United States accused Vikash Yadav, described as a former officer in the Indian Research and Analysis Wing’s spy service, with directing a plot against a Sikh separatist in New York City.

The indictment alleged that beginning in May 2023, Yadav, described as an employee of the Indian government at the time, worked with others in India and abroad to direct a conspiracy against Bannon.

These accusations constituted a test of Washington’s relations with India, which the Biden administration considers a potential counterweight to China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.

“India remains an incredibly important and valuable strategic partner,” the US official said. “We also have to have the confidence and ability to deal with very difficult issues like this transparently.”

India has classified Sikh separatists as “terrorists” who pose a threat to its security. Sikh separatists demand an independent homeland known as Khalistan, which would be carved out of India. The insurgency in India during the 1980s and 1990s led to the deaths of tens of thousands.

Bannon, a Sikh separatist, claimed that Yadav was a “middle-class soldier” who was given the task of organizing the assassination by high-ranking Indian officials.

India has said little publicly since announcing in November 2023 that it would formally investigate the allegations, and has separately continued a diplomatic dispute with Canada over the June 2023 assassination of another Sikh leader.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in September that his country’s intelligence agency was pursuing credible allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was behind the killing of Hardeep Singh Nigar, a Canadian Sikh separatist.

India denied involvement in both incidents.

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